NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2010
CONTACT: ERIKA MARZORATI
517/432-6848, marzorat@law.msu.edu
MSU Law Alumnus Alton Davis Named to State's Highest Court
East Lansing, MI — Michigan State University College of Law congratulates Judge Alton Thomas Davis, '74, on his appointment to serve as a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Governor Jennifer M. Granholm appointed Davis on Thursday, August 26, to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Elizabeth Weaver.
Davis joins the Supreme Court from the 4th District Court of Appeals, to which he was elected in both 2006 and 2008 after his 2005 appointment by Governor Granholm. Davis previously served as a visiting appeals court judge from 1985 through 1996, and spent 21 years on the bench at the 46th Circuit Court, which covers Crawford, Kalkaska, and Otsego counties.
Prior to his time on the bench, Davis spent ten years in private practice and spent four years as a prosecuting attorney. Justice Davis has been active in numerous professional organizations, including the State Bar of Michigan, Michigan Judges Association, American Judges Association, Crawford County Fair Board, and Michigan Trial Lawyers Association.
Davis earned his juris doctor degree in 1974 from Detroit College of Law, which later became MSU College of Law. He joins fellow MSU Law graduate Justice Diane Hathaway, '87, on the Michigan Supreme Court.
Michigan State University College of Law is a leading institution of legal education with a long history of creating practice-ready attorneys. As one of only a few private law schools affiliated with a major research university, MSU Law offers comprehensive interdisciplinary opportunities combined with a personalized legal education. After 100 years as a private and independent institution, the affiliation with MSU has put the Law College on an upward trajectory of national and international reputation and reach. MSU Law professors are gifted teachers and distinguished scholars, its curriculum is rigorous and challenging, and its facility is equipped with the latest resources—all affirming MSU Law's commitment to educating 21st-century lawyers.
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